PhD only look at scores

[Rmack1219]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I was told that application committees only look at the GRE and GPA of applicants first. And if they meet the minimum requirements then their application is looked into further. Has anyone that has been on a selection committee experienced this? Or is this a false statement?

 

[bmedclinic]

I was told that application committees only look at the GRE and GPA of applicants first. And if they meet the minimum requirements then their application is looked into further. Has anyone that has been on a selection committee experienced this? Or is this a false statement?

I have not been involved with this first hand, but my advisor in my masters program told me that while she was working on her PhD (she went to a rather prestigiuous school) they did this. If not a 1400, you were out. Literally only 1400 or not, as the first cut. This was some time ago, though- again, she told me that 5 years ago- and she's at the end of her career.

From what I understand, I would not be at all shocked if my university (not prestigious btw) did that as well- or at least had some GRE + GPA formula/cutpoint for this.

 

[psychRA]

In my program, the graduate admissions office screens out applicants who are below the minimum GRE and GPA. They then forward the rest of the applications to our department for review. We never see the applications that didn't meet the GRE/GPA minimums, with a few exceptions. I know of many other departments that have a similar protocol.

This is common practice for many graduate admissions programs that receive a large volume of applications, not just psychology.

 

[Goobernut]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I don't think this is true for all schools. I do not doubt at all that some of the highly competitive schools do this. However, there are at least 3 schools that I can name off the top of my head that took down their "min required GRE score" and instead posted stats for the median score of students in their program. I think this is mainly due to the change in the test and everyone is still figuring out what it means.

There are some with some hard and fast rules, but again, if you go look at the median score of past students, it is actually sometimes below what they suggest as a minimum. This can mean several things , but obviously they are letting in people that don't meet the minimum cut off score if the median is below that. And correct me if I'm wrong, but even if the median score is the same as the minimum, then doesn't that mean they still accepted people who had scores below the cutoff?

Again, I'm sure the most competitive schools probably do have a super hard and fast cut off -- but it's obvious a lot of schools don't. Take a look at the schools outcome page and see what it says 🙂

 

[emily621]

In my program, the graduate admissions office screens out applicants who are below the minimum GRE and GPA. They then forward the rest of the applications to our department for review. We never see the applications that didn't meet the GRE/GPA minimums, with a few exceptions. I know of many other departments that have a similar protocol.

This is common practice for many graduate admissions programs that receive a large volume of applications, not just psychology.

According to my adviser, this is the practice at my program. At my interview, I told him that I applied three years in a row to him and that was the first time I had gotten an interview. He seemed really surprised that he didn't remember my application and asked me if I had retaken the GRE. I told him I had, between my second and third years applying.

It's funny though, because at orientation our first week, someone asked about that and our DCT said that they review all applications. So I don't know if that's just the line they give or what, but I'm pretty sure with almost 700 applications, they have to cut it down somehow.

 

[paramour]

According to my adviser, this is the practice at my program. At my interview, I told him that I applied three years in a row to him and that was the first time I had gotten an interview. He seemed really surprised that he didn't remember my application and asked me if I had retaken the GRE. I told him I had, between my second and third years applying.

It's funny though, because at orientation our first week, someone asked about that and our DCT said that they review all applications. So I don't know if that's just the line they give or what, but I'm pretty sure with almost 700 applications, they have to cut it down somehow.

Perhaps it's a canned response for "of course we review all applications" (as they technically do for GRE & GPA). 😛

 

[ResearchGirlie]

I've been on the admissions committee at my university (prestigious) and we absolutely did not have a GRE/grades cut off. Some of the faculty might have looked at it but most didn't even really care. The essays explaining your research and match along with letters of rec were far more important.

 

[Ollie123]

My school has what they refer to as "soft" cutoffs. If you are below a cutoff you get moved in pile 2. Which doesn't outright disqualify you, but it means on the next pass they need a reason to put you back in the running. In other words, there needs to be something else impressive that would make up for the low GPA or GREs (i.e. strong publications, etc.).

 

[becomethelight]

I think probably there are very few schools that do this. There are at least two reasons for this. One is that (as was pointed out by another poster) the tests have changed and folks are not sure how to interpret them fully. The other is that unless your program attracts absolutely top applicants, most cutoffs will be prohibitively restrictive. Test scores vary from year to year, and unless you somehow could predict what the scores of that year were going to be you run the risk of not getting a large enough incoming class to sustain the program.

 

[PsychPhDone]

Yep. Programs do this. Maybe not all, but a notable number.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

My grad program's admin secretary only passed applications on to faculty members if they met the un-advertised cut-off. The only people that ever got pulled back out of the trash pile were those that were on the faculty's radar because someone they trusted that had worked with the applicant put a word in for them.

I think that the use of GRE and GPA to make cuts at the outset is probably more common than not. Given the competitiveness of most programs, anything that faculty can do to make the piles of applications to go through shorter, they will do. There's not a shortage of competitive applicants.

I don't have any data to back it up, but I'd agree with this statement. I think the level of the cut-offs will vary by program, but I'd be surprised if the significant majority of programs didn't institute at least some type of initial screening cut based on GRE and GPA, even if it's "only" at the level of a 300 (or 1000 old scale) and 3.0.

 

[Pragma]

I don't have any data to back it up, but I'd agree with this statement. I think the level of the cut-offs will vary by program, but I'd be surprised if the significant majority of programs didn't institute at least some type of initial screening cut based on GRE and GPA, even if it's "only" at the level of a 300 (or 1000 old scale) and 3.0.

Agreed. But to be fair, there are some programs where the only apparent cutoffs are a) are you alive and breathing? And b) do you qualify for financial aid?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agreed. But to be fair, there are some programs where the only apparent cutoffs are a) are you alive and breathing? And b) do you qualify for financial aid?

It'd be even funnier if it weren't so (frighteningly) true.

 

[Rmack1219]

Thank you for your replies. I was mainly asking because although my graduate GPA is a 3.9 I only received a 304 on the GRE and will not be taking it again.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Thank you for your replies. I was mainly asking because although my graduate GPA is a 3.9 I only received a 304 on the GRE and will not be taking it again.

My guess, and this is just a guess of course, would be that unfortunately, the GRE score may keep your application from being thoroughly considered at many programs. Your GPA certainly helps, though, as would a strong research history.

 

[doggums]

.

 

[Doctor Eliza]

Thank you for your replies. I was mainly asking because although my graduate GPA is a 3.9 I only received a 304 on the GRE and will not be taking it again.

Why won't you be taking it again? Isn't there still time? (An honest question. It has been a long time since I applied and I have a poor sense of how long it would take to get scores etc. nowadays.)

Dr. E

 

[psychRA]

Between the retake and sending out additional scores it can be an additional $500 or so bucks that needs to be paid pretty much up front, so I think this can be a factor for someone who is pretty strapped for cash and has already shelled out around $1,000 or $1,500 over the last month towards applications and previous GRE/GRE psych administrations with score reports (I know it was one reason that I decided not to retake the revised general GRE).

If someone is right under the general GRE cutoffs for some or most of their programs, though, there's little sense in shelling out the money to apply to grad school. I know that it's costly to take the test again, but it's also costly to apply to grad programs that aren't going to bother to read your application because you didn't make it past the first cut.

I'm not trying to be the voice of doom here - just saying that, at least at my program and others like it, there is no point in even applying if you don't meet the basic requirements. These programs will happily cash your check, but they won't offer an interview. I know that not all programs are like this, but in my opinion, if you know that your application has an objective deficit, it makes more sense to address that deficit than to go through the time, effort, and money of applying while just hoping for the best.

 

[Rmack1219]

Why won't you be taking it again? Isn't there still time? (An honest question. It has been a long time since I applied and I have a poor sense of how long it would take to get scores etc. nowadays.)

Dr. E

I studied for months while doing night time phlebotomy classes so that I may draw blood for one of my research studies, and working full time. I did Kaplan courses both advanced and basic, studied the note cards daily, GRE podcasts, the whole nine yards. And yet I still got this score that I got. I don't think it would be possible for me to get a higher score, and if I get a lower score then I'm screwed. I'm burnt out and this whole GRE process.

 

[Rmack1219]

Sorry for the late replies, been working on my statement of purpose all weekend

 

[Goobernut]

Rmack, I know this is anecdotal evidence, but I really think it is relevant. I know three people at my school who have already been offered positions at PhD programs, and/or recruited to apply (one guaranteed, one begged to apply, and one invited to "hang out" at the grad schools research team). These are NOT FSPS schools, it is not the University of Phoenix. Two are I/O and one is cognitive research. Not clinical positions.

These were all connections made while working on their undergrad research. They either made contact with the POI via email and they became interested in their project, or people they contacted to ask questions passed their names on to someone else who was looking for students to take on. None of the universities are Baylor or Rutgers or anything ha ha, but they are decent schools.

Alllll of the GRE scores of the aforementioned ppl are below 1100 old scale. I guess I'm saying that sometimes you can work hard and get lucky, or get noticed because you're working hard. I didn't get an offer with MY undergrad research, but it does happen. There are extenuating circumstances with the above ppl though.

 

[nika751]

Last year when I applied some schools specifically stated this so I believe it is pretty common. However, I think a lot of places that bar is pretty low. It seems to be more of a precautionary measure than a deciding factor. I got in to a doc program first try with a 3.5 undergrad GPA so it is possible. You will need an awesome personal statement though.